In office-type working environments large floor areas are conventionally divided into smaller areas including individual workspace areas by use of various types of office furniture, with one of the more commonly utilized furniture components being upright space-dividing panels which horizontally serially connect for dividing the large areas into smaller work areas, commonly referred to as workstations. To facilitate the supplying of electrical power and telecommunication cabling to and accessing of same at the workstations, it is now conventional practice to provide the upright space-dividing panels with channels or raceways extending horizontally therealong for accommodating therein the electrical power and telecommunication cables. These cables are typically provided in channels or raceways which extend along the bottom of the panels, although sometimes they also extend along channels or raceways formed either adjacent the top of the panel or at worksurface height. Because of the increased need to effect isolation of the electrical power and telecommunication cables from one another, often times the power cables extend along a bottom channel, and the telecommunication cables extend along a top channel.
While panels of the general type described above are extensively utilized in office environments, nevertheless there is an need in some instances to provide for a plurality of workstations within a large open area, with the individual workstations being at least partially divided or isolated from one another, but without possessing or requiring the degree of privacy provided by panels. Such workstations, however, still require that electrical power and telecommunication cables be provided thereto. In an effort to address such need, furniture components and systems have been developed which enable the supplying and accessing of power and telecommunication cabling from workstations without relying on panels for defining the conduits or raceways therefor. For example, attempts have been made to provide horizontally elongate trough members which are independent of other accessories and which set generally directly on the floor and which can be utilized in conjunction with other furniture accessories to define workstations. Such troughs do permit power and telecommunication cables to be disposed therein in separate channels if desired, although such troughs result in all cabling being disposed substantially closely adjacent the floor, and also result in minimum separation between the power and telecommunication cabling.
Another example of a non-panel type system involves use of upright open frames which permit plural channel-like troughs to be mounted horizontally between the frame uprights, with these troughs accommodating therein the desired cables. This type arrangement, however, is normally intended to accommodate removable covers so as to effectively resemble a frame or panel arrangement when completed, and if used without the covers is not believed to provide an overall aesthetically pleasing appearance for office use.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved upright arrangement which is a non-panel type arrangement for use in dividing large open office areas into smaller work areas, which arrangement facilitates the supplying of both electrical power and telecommunication cabling to work areas defined adjacent the upright arrangement so as to provide access thereto, and which retains an open but aesthetically pleasing appearance so as to permit its use in an office environment. This arrangement, however, permits and facilitates selected partial enclosure by means of removable skins, such as fabrics or rigid covers, so as to provide greater and selectable degrees of privacy, and at the same time increase the flexibility of appearance and decorativeness thereof.
Briefly summarizing the upright electrical power and telecommunication distribution arrangement of this invention, there is provided a plurality of upright posts disposed in horizontally predetermined spaced relationship from one another, and at least two horizontally-elongate rails, namely upper and lower vertically spaced rails, extending between and rigidly joined to each adjacent pair of posts. The lowermost rail is spaced upwardly a desired distance from the floor and defines a channel therethrough for accommodating electrical power cabling, and the upper rail also has a channel therethrough for accommodating communication cabling. The posts are preferably hollow and define openings through the side walls thereof which enable the power and communication cables to pass through the post for communication with the rails which join to the posts. The upper rail is open on the top and accommodates a removable cap to facilitate the laying in of telecommunication cables, and one of the side walls (for example the bottom wall) of the upper rail has openings for accommodating boxes or plates bearing the desired telecommunication connectors. The lower rail is open on the bottom to facilitate the insertion of electrical power cabling, the bottom being closed by a removable cover. In the preferred embodiment electrical power is provided by a power module including a power block which attaches to and is suspended from the underside of the lower rail, which power block accommodates a removable receptacle unit on either or both sides thereof. The power module has an elongate cable projecting the power block and which extends up and longitudinally along the lower rail for projection into an adjacent rail which connects to a common post, with the cable having a pluglike connector which can be engaged with the power block mounted on the adjacent rail. The power modules are preferably of a length which approximately corresponds with the rail length, or multiples thereof, to facilitate the insertion and serial connection together of several such power modules longitudinally along a plurality of rails which are interconnected through intermediate posts.
In the arrangement of this invention, the rails may be provided with removable skins on one or both sides thereof, such as rigid panel-like members or flexible sheetlike fabrics. For such purpose the upper rail and top cap cooperate to define an elongate slit extending along each side of the upper rail adjacent the top thereof. This slit accommodates removable hooks which project sidewardly of the rail for mounting a skin thereon, which skin is suspended downwardly along one side of the rails for effectively covering the open region between the vertically spaced rails.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with structures of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.